Eclipse
by waistcoat35
Summary: A day will soon come upon us, a long-awaited day. A day when the alpha will call, and sleepers have their say. And a dragon who carries the essence of night, he will have a son. And then the time and tide reveal... The moonlit chosen one.
1. Discovery

Eclipse

Chapter 1 - Discovery

Stormfly sat in the small hut beside Astrid's house, huddled in the warm straw. She was waiting for Astrid, to show her what had happened. Then, she heard the clatter of a fish bucket outside, but still felt reluctant to leave. What if something happened to it while she was eating? What if it was just a dream, and it just disappeared when her back was turned?

"Stormfly, is everything okay, girl?" Astrid asked, coming into the hut to see why her dragon wasn't coming to eat. Stormfly made a soft purring sound in her throat, as Astrid scratched that spot under her chin. Then, she stepped away from the petting and rose, revealing a single, polished egg.

Astrid gasped dropping the bucket in disbelief. It was a dark, blue-ish black, with dark grey splodges resembling the ones on Stormfly's wings, and when Stormfly let Astrid place a careful hand on it, it felt warm to the touch. She smiled, almost lost for words. "Oh, Stormfly..." Then, Astrid thought of something.

"Wait... If this egg is yours... Who's the father?!"


	2. Love and Rejoicing

Eclipse

Chapter 2 – Love and Rejoicing

Astrid dashed away to tell Hiccup and the others the good news, as Stormfly was reluctant to abandon her charge. She curled her tail around it protectively, though not piercing it with her tail spines, and closed her eyes to enjoy the birdsong and slants of light coming through the wooden slats...

She heard the telltale thumps of a Night Fury approaching, obviously Toothless come to check on their child. She caught her breath as he appeared outlined in the doorway. Even after so long, she always felt alive when she saw him. The morning sunlight bounced off his scales, giving them an electric blue sheen, and lit up his emerald green eyes. Oh, the amount of times she had looked into those amazing, intense eyes... They were a known feature of the Night Fury, and one you couldn't forget easily.

"_Umm, Stormfly, what are you staring at...?" _he asked, bringing her back to reality. _"Oh, sorry! I was just... thinking." _she squawked apologetically, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"_How's the egg? Is it okay?" _Toothless asked, his natural father instincts kicking in. Stormfly stepped aside, with a nod to show it was okay for him to see it. "_How about you see for yourself?" _When Toothless saw it, he gave a smile of joy, retracting his teeth and doing it like the humans did. Stormfly barely supressed a laugh – she always found it funny when Toothless did that.

"_Oh, Toothless! You do it so well!" _she said in between giggles. But Toothless didn't hear her.

_Her laughs sounded like the chiming of a bell, and it made him so happy to know he could make her laugh like that. He'd never love any other dragon, no matter WHAT..._

"_Hey, Toothless? Toothless!" _Toothless snapped out of it, realising in embarrassment that she'd been talking to him. _"Sorry... What is it?" _

"_I just wondered what Hiccup's gonna think! He'll probably fly through the roof when he finds out there'll be another Night Fury!" _Toothless merely shrugged, though he was filled to the brim with happiness about that too. _"Yeah, I guess," _he said casually. _"Or maybe he or she will take after you! After all, Stormfly,you never do know with such things..." _Stormfly smiled; Toothless always knew just what to say... They both gazed lovingly down at their unhatched child, each with a wing around the other. Then, they noticed the other dragon riders in the doorway, gaping in disbelief. Hiccup was at the front, looking bewildered and happy at the same time. "T-t-toothless? This is your baby?!" Toothless nodded, and emitted a soft purr as Hiccup hug-attacked him. Suddenly, the rejoicing was interrupted by a loud creak, and they all turned around to see... A large crack running down the side of the egg.


	3. Hatching Out

Eclipse

**Author Note: I do not own Httyd or the song "A thousand years" (By Christina Perri) I only own my own character, Eclipse**

Chapter 3 – Hatching Out

The egg rocked back and forth wildly, beginning to open. Suddenly, Astrid remembered something and quickly placed it into Stormfly's water bucket. She had done it just in time, as the egg burst open with an effect similar to Toothless' plasma blast, just as the dragon eggs did on dragon island. The bucket was promptly torn apart by the force, one of the parts flying out and narrowly missing Fishlegs. Then Snotlout asked what they were just wondering. "Hey – where's the dragon?"

_The baby dragon snuffled curiously, his eyes still half-shut with goo. There were voices, human voices, but he didn't know what humans were or where he was. He felt another prescence nearby, one that he seemed to recognise. He recognized the warm feeling radiating from one of his own kind – and knew immediately that it must be his mother. He tried to make his wobbly legs straighten out,so he could stand, and nearly managed it. He tried a second time, and managed to stagger to Stormfly's side..._

Stormfly cooed softly as a welcome to the creature, and this gesture of love encouraged the chick to finally slide his eyes fully open... And what everybody saw was amazing. This dragon's eyes were unlike any other dragons – they were no one colour. They were a beautiful mingled combination of blue and green, giving them a brilliantly striking turquoise shade. The dragonriders, who had been speechless all this time, broke into wildly excited chatter. You could only hear snippets of each one's words, such as Fishlegs raving about the class, species and rarity of such a dragon. Hiccup was wondering how they had managed to produce a black nadder, while Snotlout and the twins were gambling on who got to keep it.

Stormfly and Toothless noticed none of this, completely enchanted by their new son. Toothless was the one who broke their silence. "_What should we name our new son?" _he asked, as dragons had to give their babies a unique, meaningful name by tradition. Stormfly tilted her head thoughtfully, and then also noticed her son's wings were ringed with an ashy silver, like the moon and stars at night. "_Eclipse," _she said, as mothers sometimes just _know _when a name is the right one. _"He is beautiful, like the moon, but to those who get too close he could be a worthy adversary..." _Toothless nodded, before speaking the necessary words. _"By our skyward souls and fierce hearts, we name our son Eclipse. May he grow to be a credit to dragonhood and dragonriders alike!" _Eclipse had become unnerved by the commotion the humans were making, and sheltered underneath his mother's wing, whimpering slightly. To calm him, she began to hum in the strange way that dragons have done for eons. This melodious crooning is now called Dragonsong. Stormfly sang the song that Toothless had sang when they had first fallen in love.

"_Heart beats fast_

_Colours and promises_

_How to be brave,_

_How can I love if I'm afraid_

_To fall_

_Watching you stand alone,_

_All of my doubt_

_Suddenly goes away somehow_

_One step closer..._

_I have died everyday,_

_Waiting for you,_

_Darling don't be afraid,_

_I have loved you_

_For a thousand years_

_I'll love you for a thousand more..."_


	4. Parenthood

**Eclipse**

**This is mostly a slice of life chapter. :) Also, partly based on a request by trystrike!**

**Chapter 4 – Parenthood**

Two weeks later...

Stormfly cracked open one sleepy amber eye as dawn broke, and automatically looked to her side to check on Eclipse, expecting to see him tucked in underneath her wing... He was gone.

Stormfly bolted up, eyes wide with panic. "_Toothless! Help!" _Toothless immediately rocketed inside, claws out and ready to defend his mate. "_What is it, what's wrong?!"_ Stormfly was almost crying now, becoming extremely worried about her son. "_I- it's Eclipse, he's GONE!" _Toothless let out a barely suppressed snarl of fury. _"Don't worry Stormfly, if somebody has taken him, they'll be sorry, or I'm not a Night Fury!" _Examining the inside of the hut, he found a lock of brown-blonde hair. He sniffed it, noting it smelled strangely like... Fish oil.

"_I'm gonna kill them..." _Toothless growled, as he bounded outside. As it happened... To see a girl about a dragon baby.

As Toothless ran through Berk, he heard the voices of the very kids he had been looking for. He found the owners of them behind a thorn bush, gambling with runes. "_I bet Snotlout never asked his dad before taking those..." _Toothless said to himself thoughtfully. Snotlout's partners in crime, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, were sitting opposite him. Then, Toothless spotted his son on a leash, tied to a tree to the side of the game. Snotlout dealt out the runes, saying "Okay, here's how it works: Winner gets the dragon over there, loser, or should I say _losers, _do Boot Night for the winner for a month!"

Boot Night was when all the unfortunate young vikings on Berk had to air their parent's boots out by their front doors. They would try and escape this chore whenever possible, as the stink could mess with your head a LOT. (Well, look at RUFFNUT and you know how much a lot is..) Toothless growled softly. His son had been stolen for a _bet?! _He could have blasted them senseless right there and then – but he decided to have a little fun with them first.

He guessed this was Snotlout's idea, since the twins were worse than useless on their own. Grinning, Toothless padded off to Snotlout's house...

Toothless ran across the village with a gleaming axe belonging to Snotlout's father, with said viking chasing him with shouts of "Give that back!" and "That's my best one!" Slowing down, Toothless skidded to a stop by the bush and dropped the axe obediently. As Spitelout grabbed it and turned to go, he caught a glimpse of the kids, still gambling with his only set of runes. Wait, WHAT?! With a bellow of anger, Spitelout marched into their midst and emerged dragging Snotlout by the helmet, still clutching the runes in one hand. Toothless closed his eyes in pleasure, to ensure he heard every note of Snotlout's agonized cries.

But then, he heard a scuffle of boots and realised that the twins were now running away with Eclipse! Okay, he'd just about had it now. But as he was about to let loose his full strength on the pair, they stopped, dropping the baby dragon, and clutching their feet in agony. The small dragon had lashed out at them... With a steady stream of scalding violet flames. Could most normal young dragons even do that at so young?

Eclipse continued to chase them with his newly found defense source, and in the end the twins ran away to find a way to put out the flames. (Tuffnut had a particularly nasty-looking burnt behind, with a few embers still burning!) Toothless padded over, almost laughing aloud as his son looked up at him with a cross little face that could only be described as adorable. He couldn't wait to tell the others about this... _Barf and Belch are gonna kill this little guy._


	5. Presentation

**Eclipse**

**Chapter 5: Presentations **

When Toothless finished telling Stormfly about what happened, (and after she had laughed so much she knocked the water trough over…) suddenly Hookfang burst in with his scales alight. Luckily the spilt water had dampened the straw a lot, preventing a fire from starting.

"_Hey, you guys! Looking forward to the little dude's presentation?!" _Hookfang snorted, so loudly that Eclipse hid under the straw and Toothless winced and covered his ears. Toothless sighed – this was kind of a normal thing with Hookfang. He wasn't angry with Toothless for getting Snotlout into trouble, since Hookfang often gave his rider hell in the academy training sessions.

"_Well, I WAS looking forward to it…" _he grumbled pointedly, shooting the larger dragon a look from his green eyes. Hookfang, being Hookfang, ignored this. _"Well, darn right you should! Cos it's today!" _Toothless' pupils widened – He hadn't been told it was today! Whenever a dragon had a baby, they had to present it to the dragon council of Berk and the council would decide whether to accept it onto the island, or exile it. Since Toothless himself was on that council, this was a pretty big thing.

Even though the parents were worried, it was hard not to get caught up in Hookfang's infectious excitement. Stormfly was practically glowing with eagerness to show off her new chick and she quickly cleaned the soot and grass stains from Eclipse's jet black scales. Toothless was still anxious though – being the last Night Fury, he was often under a lot of pressure at the council. But whatever the other dragons thought, he wouldn't love his son any less… Would he?

The crowd of waiting dragons parted as Toothless and Stormfly led their youngest son to the presentation circle. Some of his fear had begun to ebb away, as he gazed curiously at the other dragons from under his father's wing. All most of them could see was a pair of curious turquoise eyes peering cheekily out!

The oldest dragon, a purple Stormcutter named Indigo Wind, sat at the head of the council podium, his four wings folded back in a dignified position. His scarred horns were grey-tipped with age, but he was still by far the wisest council member. Then there was:

Topaz Fire, an electric blue terrible terror with pale green markings and the usual yellow eyes.

TroubleHorn, a scarlet Hideous Zippleback with yellow markings and orange eyes.

SmokePlume, a navy blue changewing with green eyes.

TurboWing, a regular blue thunderdrum with orange markings and pale blue eyes.

Thorndrake, a green snaptrapper with cream markings.

RainRazor, a blue Seashocker with an arrow shaped tail.

And, of course, Toothless.

Indigo Wing smiled down at Toothless. He had a liking for the lad, as stubborn and trying as he could sometimes seem to the older dragons. _"Toothless, Stormfly, how nice to see you once again!" _Toothless nodded, bowing politely, and Stormfly followed suit.

"_The pleasure is all ours, Indigo. We hope our son will please you all…" _Indigo Wing nodded, and the crowd murmured with impatience. _"Now, let us see your son.." _Stormfly lifted her wing gently, revealing their baby dragon for all their pees to see. Several of the older dragons saw his black scales, and gasped in shock and dread. Even Indigo Wing stiffened, as rumors began to fly around like mosquitoes. _"Can the old tales be true…?" _he murmured, frowning anxiously. Then, knowing there was no other way, he stepped forward to the young couple. _"Toothless, Stormfly. You have produced a Black Nadder. As my fellows will know, such a thing is known to bring pain and famine to all lands it crosses. Are you sure this is your son?" _Toothless was trembling with worry and fear, but still he defended his hatchling. _"I do not deny it, nor am I ashamed of it." _

Indigo Wing nodded, knowing that was what he would say. _"I am sorry, but… He is to be exiled." _Stormfly let out a sob, clutching to Toothless, who looked as if his world had come crashing down around him. (Which it had.) _"Indigo, there must be another way! Can't we make some kind of bargain?" _Indigo Wing considered, and then nodded slowly. _"Very well. If anybody has a good enough sacrifice, we will consider letting him stay for __3 Human Years." _ (15 Dragon years.) _"Has anybody a sacrifice to save a young life? Speak up!" _Nobody said anything, until the crowd parted… And out stepped a golden dragon with a lightning pattern to his scales. Several dragons gasped in recognition. For this was none other than the last Goldclipper dragon.


	6. Prices

**Disclaimer: I own Pirate and the Goldclipper breed, so please ask permission before using either for fanfics, roleplays or deviations. **

**I know Stormcutters are from HTTYD 2 by the way, but this is in a separate universe.**

**Eclipse**

**Chapter 6 – Prices **

The Dragon Council gasped as the magnificent beast came forward. His scales were almost like the sun at dawn, and his lightning streaks were a hue of electric blue. He had a dark coloured mark over one eye, and both eyes were a bright, toxic green. Indigo Wing gaped. _"Pirate! What… What are you doing here?!" _

The Goldclipper radiated an air of confidence, yet humble respect as he spoke. _"My rider made a stop here to speak with your chief. She'll be busy for a few hours, and I had heard word of Eclipse's presentation. I also heard that he is potentially to be exiled." _Pirate narrowed his eyes at the older dragon, clearly disapproving of such a decision. Indigo Wing bowed his head in shame. _"I am aware of that. You see, Pirate, I'm afraid he's a-" _

"_Black Nadder, I __know.__" _Pirate interrupted wearily. _"What, so because he's different, you refuse to spare an innocent life?! He'd die in exile and you _know _it!" _Pirate took a deep breath, controlling his temper, which had gotten him into trouble many times before. _"And that," _He said, _"is why I will give an eye in return for this hatchling's survival for 3 human years." _

The crowd gasped. A dragon's eyes were one of their most important weapons – a half blind dragon couldn't hope to win in a battle, surely? But here he was, the last Goldclipper in all his glory, offering his most valuable possession for a mere hatchling he had never met! Indigo Wing also seemed shocked, but he nodded in acceptance. _"Very well. Are you certain you want to go through with this, Pirate?" _Pirate looked faintly nervous about it, but he nodded nonetheless. _"With all my heart." _Toothless blocked Eclipse's view with his wing. He didn't want him seeing this at such a young age.

He stepped forward, trembling with the prospect of what was about to come, as Indigo Wing unsheathed his claws in preparation. The golden dragon bit down on his lower lip, and braced himself for the sharp, stinging jolt…

There was a sickening slicing sound as Indigo's claws were swiped across the eye socket, slicing the eye clean. Pirate's legs almost buckled, but he stayed standing despite the pain. And what was most amazing was… All throughout, Pirate hadn't emitted so much as a whimper. He hadn't even flinched.

Toothless couldn't believe he had done that – how brave was this dragon? He had learnt himself, many years ago, that true bravery wasn't not being scared to do something. It was when you were scared, but went right ahead and did it anyway. And that mean that this was one of the bravest dragons he'd ever met. As the crowd drifted away, with Indigo's promise that Eclipse would live, for now, Toothless approached Pirate, who was staring at nothing in particular with his remaining eye. His expression almost seemed haunted, and who could blame him? He had seen it all – the claws coming towards his eye, fighting the natural urge to dodge and fly away… Toothless placed a consoling wing on his shoulder.

"_I honestly don't know how to thank you… You didn't have to do that…" _Pirate turned to face him, seeming surprised when Toothless didn't retreat at the sight of the missing eyeball. There was a gash where the claws had come on impact, and the eyelid (the one on the right.) was shut, and slightly inflamed. _"Yes, I did have to. If not for you, then for him. I couldn't live with myself knowing a child had been murdered in cold blood, when I could have done something." _He gave a weak, shaky smile, despite the great pain he was undoubtedly going through. Toothless still couldn't believe what Pirate had given up.

"_But you gave everything for one hatchling! How… How will you manage without both eyes?! You'll have trouble hunting, flying… And what about your rider? Won't she notice? She'll be really worried about you!" _Pirate laughed dryly, trying to make light of it.

"_Gee, I really don't think she'll notice that… I mean, it's not even very obvious!" _he chuckled sarcastically. Toothless still looked worried, though. _"Pirate, she'll be really upset for you! You know how she gets whenever you get hurt!" _Pirate nodded – Toothless did have a point. His rider really did worry about him too much…

Spotting an old cloth nearby, he quickly tied it over the injury. Surprisingly, it was on the same eye his eyepatch marking was on, too. Since Toothless looked and obviously felt guilty about the whole event, Pirate decided he should go. Nodding a last goodbye, and patting Eclipse on the head, he padded back to the village. He heard Toothless shout _"Thank you again! One day we'll return the favour!"_ Pirate smiled, a snaggle tooth poking from his jaw. _By letting me save your son, you've done that already… _The dragon thought, as he went back to his rider to face the music.


	7. Flying with Dad

**Basically, Tooth and Storm had their chick a little late, as Toothless would've had to stay behind at Snoggletog. That is why Toothless' Snoggletog gift, the tail fin to fly alone, is included. You must watch Gift of the night fury to understand this. My art for this chapter can be seen at: **** art/Eclipse-Flying-with-Dad-537864325**

**Warning! Intense fluff!**

**Eclipse **

**Chapter 7 – Flying with Dad**

1 human year later

Toothless had been worrying about this for many days now. He had seen his son beating his wings desperately, trying to teach himself to fly. He knew it was time that Eclipse learned – but how? Stormfly could teach him, but it was traditionally the father that taught that. Besides, she _insisted _that this was something that Toothless needed to do, rather than her. She felt that Eclipse could relate more to his father with this – Toothless had trouble flying again when he first got a new tail, and Eclipse was struggling slightly more than the other hatchlings his age.

But, as Toothless had argued, how would he do that when he couldn't even fly himself? They had both been bickering about it for days, as Toothless found his tail a sensitive subject.

"_Come on, Toothless, there has to be some way that you can teach him!"_

"_Storm, that's never gonna happen, and besides, I don't want my own son thinking that I'm some sort of cripple!" _Toothless sounded slightly panicky, for that was one of his worst fears- that his son would think less of him for his fake tail, and the fact that he couldn't fly on his own. But then, Toothless had an idea. He bounded away to Hiccup's house, calling back to his mate, _"I won't be long!"_

A few hours later, Toothless returned… Wearing his Snoggletog tailfin that let him fly on his own. Stormfly rolled her eyes. _"And it took you a week's worth of worrying to figure that out?"_

"_Shut up."_

Stormfly snickered, leaving Toothless and his son to it.

Toothless found Eclipse on the hillside, trying to fly yet again. He fell back onto the grass again, his turquoise eyes filled with frustrated tears. Toothless smiled, picking Eclipse up by the scruff of his neck and placing him the right way up. _"Don't worry," _Toothless purred, _"Today we're learning to fly!" _He felt uplifted by the hope in his son's eyes, which was enough to help him get over his self-consciousness. He spread his ebony wings wide, motioning for his son to watch closely. He gave them several strong flaps, hovering effortlessly above the hilltop like a giant spectral falcon poised to strike. Toothless almost forgot that Eclipse was watching, dancing in the wind as if he was a kite being flown.

Eventually he tired, spiralling back down to earth and his son. Eclipse's eyes were like huge orbs, widened with amazement and awe. _"I wanna fly like you, da!"_ he squeaked adorably, hopping up and down in excitement. Toothless chuckled, his ear flaps raising in amusement. _"All in good time, my son. Now first, you can try to hover." _Eclipse beat his smaller wings up and down, speeding them up gradually. After a few tries, he managed to stay off the ground for about 7 seconds. _"I'm doing it, da! I'm doing it!" _he cried.

"_Indeed you are!" _Toothless cried, his excitement even overruling his son's. When his son landed, he said _"But I'm still not as good as SkyTamer!" _

SkyTamer was a Stormcutter hatchling, just slightly older than Eclipse. He was always picking on him because he couldn't fly yet, and Eclipse often came home crying after a rough playing session with SkyTamer and his pals.

"_Eclipse, forget about SkyTamer. Do you know what SkyTamer is? He's a showoff, and you should never listen to showoffs. Right?" _Eclipse gave him a relieved smile.

"_Right, da!"_ Toothless returned the grin. Then, he bent down as if telling Eclipse a secret.

"_But between you and me, you're gonna beat him anyway." _Eclipse giggled, and then said in a telltale voice: "_Ma said you have to _"Stop being so competitive, Toothless!" _I'm gonna tell!" _Toothless raised an eyebrow playfully.

"_Oh, really? Not if I catch you first!" _They proceeded to chase each other across the hill for a while, until Eclipse stopped upon hearing Skytamer's scornful voice.

"_Yeah, and then I said… Eclipse, how are you gonna show me real flying if you can't even get off the ground yet?" _Eclipse shrank back slightly as the stormcutter appeared on the hill, with two of his friends laughing at the insult. Grindle, a greenish-brown gronckle hatchling and Bolt, a purple and orange Monstrous Nightmare.

Eclipse bounded forward before Toothless could speak, spines raised indignantly. _"O- Oh yeah? Well, me and Da are gonna show ya!" _Skytamer snickered, eyes narrowing nastily. _"This oughta be good…" _he muttered to his friends, and they perched on a tree branch to watch.

Eclipse returned to his father, and Toothless decided that it was time to turn that frown upside down. _"Come on, son, let's show them now, huh?" _Eclipse nodded, eyes narrowed in intense concentration. Toothless walked to the edge of the hill with his son. Eclipse gulped slightly, despite his determination – it was an awfully long way down… Then, Toothless gave his son a light push from the hilltop. Stormfly wouldn't entirely approve, but Eclipse needed to learn these things fast. As Toothless dived after his son as a precaution, Eclipse screeched: _"DA, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" _Toothless had to bellow to be heard in his reply. _"I BELIEVE IN LEARNING ON THE JOB!"_

Eclipse was trembling as the ground got closer. _"DA, I… I JUST CAN'T DO IT! I'M GONNA DIE! HELP!"_

Toothless knew that this was the kind of time when a parent had to be there for their child. As tearful turquoise met emerald green, he said, soothingly: _"Eclipse, you can do this. You'll be fine, I know you will."_ Eclipse still wasn't sure, and the ground was looking alarmingly close. _"You… You promise?" _Toothless nodded solemnly.

"_You were destined for the sky, son. As a son of fire and wind, I promise you'll be okay." _Eclipse looked at the ground, but that weighed his wings down in fear. Instead, he looked at the sky. The seagulls were soaring effortlessly – he wanted to be like them. Wild, and free. He saw the bullies watching with scorn, and gritted his teeth. An old song came into his head that Pirate had once sang on a visit when he was still very small.

"_We were made to be courageous_

_We were made to lead the way_

_We could be the generation_

_That finally breaks the chains_

_We were made to be courageous_

_We were made to be courageous_

_We were warriors on the front lines_

_Standing, unafraid_

_But now we're watchers on the sidelines_

_While our families slip away_

_Where are you, men of courage?_

_You were made for so much more_

_Let the pounding of our hearts cry_

_We will serve the Lord_

_We were made to be courageous_

_And we're taking back the fight_

_We were made to be courageous_

_And it starts with us tonight_

_The only way we'll ever stand_

_Is on our knees with lifted hands_

_Make us courageous_

_Lord, make us courageous_

_This is our resolution_

_Our answer to the call_

_We will love our wives and children_

_We refuse to let them fall_

_We will reignite the passion_

_That we buried deep inside_

_May the watchers become warriors_

_Let the men of God arise_

_We were made to be courageous_

_And we're taking back the fight_

_We were made to be courageous_

_And it starts with us tonight_

_The only way we'll ever stand_

_Is on our knees with lifted hands_

_Make us courageous_

_Lord, make us courageous_

_Seek justice_

_Love mercy_

_Walk humbly with your God_

_In the war of the mind_

_I will make my stand_

_In the battle of the heart_

_And the battle of the hand_

_In the war of the mind_

_I will make my stand_

_In the battle of the heart_

_And the battle of the hand_

_We were made to be courageous_

_And we're taking back the fight_

_We were made to be courageous_

_And it starts with us tonight_

_The only way we'll ever stand_

_Is on our knees with lifted hands_

_Make us courageous_

_Lord, make us courageous_

_We were made to be courageous_

_Lord, make us courageous…" _

In that instant, Eclipse unfurled his wings, and shot upwards as the wind billowed through them like they were parachutes. He gave an experimental flap, and from the look on his father's face he was going unbelieveably fast. And he loved it. The wind under his wings, the pounding of his heart… This felt right. He tried a spiral, and as a finishing act, he zoomed at the tree that his peers were perched in and knocked them over like skittles. Grindle and bolt fell into a muddy puddle, while Skytamer landed… Right in the dragon dung-heap. As the other young dragons laughed at him jeeringly, SkyTamer burst into tears. His wings ached, everybody was laughing at him, and he was covered in dragon dung.

Eclipse landed when he heard the older hatchling's sobs. He felt kinda guilty – was he a show-off too, now? He pushed through the crowd of dragons, waded right into the dung heap, and helped Skytamer up, putting an end to the other's laughs. He thought that they should both have a fresh start- beginning now. _"Hi, my name's Eclipse!" _he said, as though the two had only just met. _"Wanna be friends?" _Skytamer looked shocked, and then gave Eclipse a watery smile. _"I'd love to."_

**What was it some of you were saying? Something about seeing me outdo myself? Yeah, I think I got that covered… ;)**


	8. Nightmares

**I do not own the contents of the dream, only how I inserted Eclipse instead of Hiccup. Yet again, see HTTYD 2 first!**

**NEW RECORD FOR MOST FLUFF IN ONE CHAPTER!**

**Eclipse**

**Chapter 8 – Nightmares **

_Eclipse opened his eyes in confusion. He was near a huge ice mountain, surrounded by snow. It was cold, and lots of dragons were flying around a large grey dragon… Wait, what?!_

_His gaze slowly turned to the great beast towering over him. Its hide was varying shades of grey, with red spikes along its back. Its wings wouldn't support it in the air, but they still held enough power to sweep an armada off of their feet. The creature's tusks were razor sharp, with iron rings round them – but worst of all were its eyes. They were cold and dead, like a shark's, only no shark had ever had such dark thoughts as this dragon must've had. The tusks were tipped with crimson blood, from the carcass of a white dragon who was similar in size and basic appearance. _

_Eclipse emitted a whimper, and as he backed away he heard a voice, seemingly from nowhere. _

"_**Now, witness true strength, strength of will over others. In the face of it, you are NOTHING!" **_

_Then, the dragon looked at something else – and that was when Eclipse saw his father. Against the snow, Toothless stood out like blotted ink on a piece of clean paper. But as the eyes of the large dragon looked into the eyes of the night fury, the warm orbs of emerald changed. They paled, and the pupils narrowed into slits – like those of a snake about to strike. _

_Hesitantly , Eclipse padded over to Toothless. __**"D- Dad? What's wrong?"**_

_Toothless whipped round, his ear-flaps going flat against his head as he let out a snarl. Eclipse gasped in terror, and took a step back. As he did so, Toothless began to walk forwards slowly and jerkily, almost like some kind of marionette. He stalked towards Eclipse, and he definitely wasn't acting friendly. _

"_**Dad, p-please, stop it! You're scaring me!"**_

_No response. Toothless' claws were unsheathed, and they dug into the packed snow as the dragon closed in on Eclipse. _

"_**Dad, snap out of it! What are you doing?!"**_

_His mouth gaped open, revealing a violet plasma blast ready to be released. With dread, Eclipse realised that he was trapped. Even if he flew, and there were too many spikes of ice for that, a night fury never missed its target. _

"_**Please, no! NO!"**_

_Eclipse's breath came out in shaking gasps, his legs wobbling as he looked into his father's dead eyes for the last time before the fireball was released, and everything went black…_

Eclipse woke up with a gasp, jolting to his feet and looking around him wildly. Cold sweat lingered on his scales, and his breathing came out raspy. Stormfly was out hunting bats, owls and other night creatures. It was Toothless' turn to watch his son. At the sudden burst of sound, Toothless raised his head sleepily to see what was wrong. _"Eclipse, what are you doing up? Do you know what time it is?" _He stepped towards his son, but was confused when Eclipse backed away fast, looking terrified.

"_Eclipse, it's me… I won't hurt you, will I?" _Eclipse looked genuinely unsure of this fact, and tried to back away further, only to find the wall blocking him. He looked up with a mixture of fear and uncertainty. _"D- dad? Is that you?"_

"_Of course it is, Eclipse. Come on, what's wrong?" _Toothless was surprised yet again, as his son immediately latched onto him, sobbing uncontrollably and mumbling things like: _"Daddy!" _and _"Don't leave me again, it was horrible!" _Toothless felt a tug at his heart, and he placed a comforting paw around his son's shaking form.

Eventually Eclipse calmed down slightly, and Toothless relaxed his hold slightly. _"There, are you okay now?" _ His son nodded tearfully.

"_I- I think so." _Toothless lay down in the straw, and the baby nadder came and settled next to him. _"Was it a nightmare?"_

"_Yes…"_

Toothless nodded knowingly. _"Tell me about it, I might be able to help you." _Eclipse opened his mouth to tell him about it, but then he shrank back as if he had been about to reveal a secret. _I can't tell him, dad'll be upset about what he did in the dream! _Eclipse thought. Toothless looked directly into his son's eyes. _"Eclipse… I promise you can always tell me anything. Absolutely anything." _This encouraged Eclipse to speak up. At first it came as just a small whisper, but eventually everything came flooding out. _"There was a horrible dragon,a huge grey one, with scary eyes and everything, and this weird voice, and then you were there, but you WEREN'T you, you were something else, and then you came after me, and you were going to… To…!" _Toothless silenced Eclipse with one claw. He looked slightly hurt, but mostly concerned for his son. _"Eclipse," _he asked seriously, _"Would I ever hurt you? Not this other me in your dream, but would I EVER hurt you? Do you think that I honestly would?" _Eclipse shook his little head. _"No…" _he said truthfully.

"_Exactly. That's what matters most, isn't it? The other me isn't real, and I promise that as long as I live I will always love you and protect you." _Toothless smiled. Eclipse now felt a lot better.

"_Goodnight, daddy. Thank you… For everything."_

As the pair went back to sleep, Eclipse snuggled up under the warmth of Toothless' wing, making soft snoring sounds as he drifted off into a more peaceful slumber. Toothless felt at peace as he drifted off. _This is what being a dad's about. _He thought. _This is where I belong now…_


	9. Time

**Sorry if this chapter sucks, I just noticed that it's over 2 weeks since I updated and I made this so as not to keep you waiting. Also, I have made a trailer for this fic on YouTube. My channel name's Colourful Dreamer.**

**Eclipse**

**Chapter 9: Time**

Toothless watched his son interacting with Skytamer and some of the other hatchlings proudly. It had been 10 dragon years (Or 2 human years,) since his son had hatched, and he was growing up fast. Eclipse wasn't at the tiny hatchling stage anymore, nor the toddler stage. He didn't yet look the same as a fully grown Deadly Nadder would, he was sort of inbetween teen and adult.

His head sometimes seemed too big for the rest of him, still, and his legs and wings were not yet grown to their full extent. The silver markings on his body were once pale enough to be almost white, but the colour had evened out so that it looked like he had rolled in stardust.

Stormfly came and crouched beside him, purring in the back of her throat in pride for their boy. He had already come so far...

How much longer would this last? 

**Sorry, I know this is rubbish and short and probably disappointing, but I haven't had the time nor the energy to get onto the big chapters yet.**


	10. The Trouble Starts

**Eclipse**

**Oh gods, it's been over a MONTH! I'm so so sorry, but I don't have a good excuse... I guess that **

**1\. I got lazy in the holidays**

**and 2. I needed time to work out how to write this chapter.**

**Chapter 10 - The Trouble Starts**

Eclipse woke up in the extension on the side of Hiccup's house, as dawn broke on the horizon. Now that he was older he had been allowed to live with his father, as he was less clingy around his mother now. His eyes widened in excitement as he realised what day it was. It was his fifteenth Hatching-Day!

He got up and flew up to the skylight in Hiccup's bedroom, squeezing through it with some difficulty. Upon hearing Eclipse Hiccup just groaned and turned over in his sleep, but he wasn't who Eclipse was after anyway. He began to nudge Toothless to try and wake him up, and when that didn't work he started chewing on his ear flaps just like when he was younger, since that always woke his dad up. _"Dad, get up! It's my birthday!" _

Toothless groaned, opening his emerald eyes and staring at his son sleepily. _"Eclipse, it's not even morning yet..."_

_"Dad, come on! I'm fifteen, for Thor's sake, you HAVE to get up!" _

_"No I don't. And you're not fifteen until it's a sensible hour to wake up..." _

_"No fair!" _Eclipse exclaimed, and he heard a chuckle behind him. Stormfly had come and perched on the edge of the skylight, since she really was too big to get in. _"Don't worry, your father's just lazy, that's all." _ His mother said teasingly. This made Toothless bolt up indignantly. _"Hey, I'm not lazy!" _

_"Yeah you are. Like that time when Hookfang wanted to race us - Barf and Belch couldn't because he had back ache - and when you were asked to fill in for them, you didn't want to so you said you had FRONT ACHE!" _Stormfly burst out laughing at the memory. _"And that time when you accidentally drank that leftover mead and you-" _Toothless shoved a paw on her snout to shut her up.

_"Eclipse isn't old enough to hear that one!"_

Still laughing, Stormfly flew down to the front door where she waited for Toothless and Eclipse to come out. Then, they went down the hill together, still laughing. But then, Indigo Wing flew over and said he needed to talk to them.

As Eclipse waited nearby, he noticed a faint gold streak flying towards him. On closer examination, it appeared to be a certain Goldclipper heading his way. As he landed, Eclipse rushed to meet him and embraced him. _"Uncle Pirate!" _he cried happily. Pirate laughed, patting him on the back with one wing. He wore a black cloth over his right eye to conceal an old wound, which was embroidered with a lightning bolt in blue thread. Eclipse had asked about it several times when he was younger, but Pirate always said Eclipse didn't want to know about such things and his parents always changed the subject.

Pirate took a small pouch from around his neck and handed it to Eclipse. He wasnt his actual uncle, but when Eclipse was two he gave him the nickname and it had stuck. Now he undid the bag with his claws, and what he brought out made him gasp. It was a moonstone, on a thick black cord. Moonstones were extremely rare in the Barbaric Archipelago, and he couldn't think how uncle Pirate could have gotten it. His face lit up, and Pirate could tell he was pleased. He gave Eclipse a small smile, some crooked fangs hanging out from his upper jaw.

"_Wear it proudly, Eclipse. _

_For a day will some come upon us,_

_A long awaited day_

_A day when the alpha will call_

_And sleepers have their say_

_And a dragon as dark as night,_

_He will have a son_

_And then the time and tide reveal_

_The moonllit chosen one."_

Eclipse stared at him for a second in awe. In the morning light, Pirate's scales shone like pure gold and he looked like a prophet from long ago. Then, he shook his head as he drifted back to reality. _"Uncle, what does that even mean?" _

Pirate chuckled. _"You'll find out when you're ready, Eclipse."_

Then, he looked worried as he finally noticed Indigo Wing talking to Toothless and Stormfly. He flew over to them, and Eclipse noticed that their voices raised considerably. He sneaked closer, hiding in a bush, and managed to hear some snippets of conversation.

_"But on his BIRTHDAY?!" _

_"Just a little longer, PLEASE-"_

_"I'll give up another eye, a LIMB this time if need be, Indigo Wing!"_

Those words echoed in Eclipse's head. He wondered what his uncle meant...


	11. Fleeing

**Eclipse**

**Chapter 11 - Fleeing**

Eclipse had a bad feeling about this in the pit of his stomach... Suddenly, he felt a prescence behind him... But when he turned around in the bush, he couldn't see anything. Suddenly, he was seized by the tail and dragged out of the bush by Smokeplume, the navy blue changewing and council member, who had appeared out of thin air.

He let out an alarmed shriek as Pirate, Toothless, Stormfly and Indigo Wing turned around and stared at him, surprised to see him in the jaws of Smokeplume. Smokeplume opened his jaws and released his tail, only for it to be pinned down firmly under one of his clawed paws.

_"Indigo WIng," _Smokeplume sneered _"I found the little wretch eavesdropping. What shall we do with him?" _Toothless emitted a low snarl, his tail lashing the ground and his claws unsheathing. _"Let my son go, Smokeplume!" _

Smokeplume growled in response. _"With pleasure... As soon as the little wretch tells us exactly what he was up to, and why he was listening into affairs that weren't his own!" _Pirate lunged and swiped Smokeplume's paw away, and Eclipse dashed to his side. _"You know full well that what we are discussing is very much my nephew's business!" _His uncle exclaimed. _"And if what he was doing was so wrong, then exactly why were YOU slithering around while we were talking, you worm?!" _Smokeplume had opened his mouth to say something, but at the accusation he fell silent.

Pirate snorted smugly, and a cloud of smoke drifted into Smokeplume's face and gave him a coughing fit. Then, there was an awkward silence, which Eclipse then broke. _"Dad... Uncle Pirate... What's going on?" _Toothless clenched his teeth, uncertain whether his son should be told the sad truth. Pirate nudged him. _"Toothless, he has a right to know."_

_"I know, but he doesn't deserve this!"_

_"Would you rather THEY told him?!" _Pirate gestured to the rest of the council, who had begun to arrive and gather round them when they heard the commotion. Toothless sighed in defeat and shook his head. _"Eclipse," _he said, his head low _"You need to leave." _Toothless didn't like the way that the council were glaring at his son. _"But dad, why?!" _Eclipse cried, scared and confused.

_"It's complicated, son. Look, I don't have much time to explain to you..."_ Then, Indigo Wing announced _"That's it. He has to go NOW, your time's up, Toothless." _Then, with his eyes narrowed, he glanced up at the council and gave them an order while gesturing to Eclipse.

_"Get him."_

The dragons all poured upon the young nadder, who squawked in terror. _"No!" _Toothless bellowed. Stormfly had tears pouring down her cheeks, and they feared for their child's life. Then, Toothless sprang and swept a few dragons off Eclipse. _"Son, go. Run, get far away from here!" _A tear rolled down Eclipse's cheek, and Toothless gently brushed it away with one wing. _"Your Uncle Pirate will look after you. Now GO!"_ Eclipse couldnt speak, he only nodded wordlessly.

Pirate dashed into the fray, and used his club-tail to smash Turbowing aside, the collison of club and dragon skull causing a sickening cracking sound. He then lured ThornDrake away from Toothless, and somehow tricked him into getting his four heads tangled with Troublehorn's two heads, thus saving Toothless from a fatal attack to the throat. He smiled sadly at the Night Fury, the two wanting say goodbye but not knowing what to say. They had grown close, almost like brothers after Pirate had saved Eclipse all that time ago.

Then, they were brought back to the moment when Topaz Fire stumbled past them, screeching due to one of Stormfly's spines being lodged in his leg. Toothless simply nodded to him, giving Eclipse one last longing glance before charging back into the bloody tangle of fighting dragons violently ripping chunks out of one another. Pirate swept Eclipse up in his talons, and his nephew had just enough time to grab the Moonstone still on the ground before Berk started growing smaller and smaller in the distance...


	12. Anguish and The Truth

**Eclipse**

**By the way, Kamuflasje is "Camoflauge" in Norse. You'll see why it's called that soon...**

**Chapter 12 - Anguish and the Truth**

Eventually Eclipse and Pirate reached a small, far-out island near the old island that Hiccup and the gang had named Dragon's Edge. Pirate had told Eclipse lots of stories of their adventures there, just before he had hatched. Eclipse had hatched while they were home on leave, and they had decided to stay for good as Hiccup felt it was unfair to keep Toothless and Stormfly away from their hatchling while they were on quests with their riders.

Now, Eclipse sat in a cave on Kamuflasje island, staring listlessly into the small fire made by his uncle for warmth. He couldn't shake off the deep feeling of anguish within him. He had been torn away from his home and almost everything he held dear. And why, anyway?! Was there something wrong with him? Didn't his parents love him anymore?

In any case, he was relieved to have Uncle Pirate here. He had become almost like a second father to Eclipse, and right now he was the only comfort that the young nadder had.

A small whimper escaped him without his realising at first, and he drew his wings closer to his body. He just didn't know what do do anymore...

Upon hearing his distress, Pirate left his position at the mouth of the cave and approached his nephew slowly, claws clicking against the stone. He was about the same size as Hookfang, but with a slightly more bulky build, so his wings enveloped Eclipse easily. He rested his head on top of Eclipse's, as he often did to comfort his own rider, and sighed. _"Eclipse, I know this is hard for you... But I swear, with all my heart, everything's going to turn out fine. I won't let anybody hurt you, and neither will your parents." _

Ecipse wanted to stay in the embrace of his uncle's wings forever, and escape the frightening reality of the situation. But then, he forced himself to pull away slightly and look up at the Goldclipper. _"But Uncle Pi..." _He only used this nickname when he was feeling particularly upset or vulnerable, so Pirate braced himself for what was coming.

_"Uncle Pi, what's going on?! Why did we have to leave? What does how you lost your eye have to do with me? Why was Indigo Wing so mean? Don't... Don't my parents want me anymore?"_ His voice became very small at this last question. Pirate took a while to answer, not sure how to break things to his nephew.

_"Eclipse, it's complicated... It- It wasn't safe for you to stay on Berk."_ Eclipse scowled, misunderstanding it. _"See, I knew they were fed up of me! Do you really think I haven't heard what the other dragons say? That I look weird? That I don't belong?!" _Eclipse's voice was growing slightly hysterical, and his breathing was coming out fast and irregular.

_"All... All I want is for everybody to accept me! It's not fair! IT'S NOT FAIR!" _He jerked away from his uncle, who looked deeply pained at his words. He said nothing as Eclipse vented out all of his anger and pain and regret of the last few hours, until he was sitting in a heap on the stone floor.

_"It's not fair..."_ He whispered brokenly. Pirate then came over to him and hugged him again wiht his wings, and this time Eclipse didn't fight it. He just wanted to escape this cruel, dark world he seemed to be trapped in.

_"Eclipse, I know. It isn't fair, and it isn't right. I think I better tell you the truth." _Pirate sighed. When Eclipse let him continue, he did so.

_"When you were presented to the council,they knew you were different. They dissolved into uproar, for they said that a black nadder on Berk would bring bad luck and doom to us all._

_They were prepared to exil you - you were still extremely young, and I knew that you wouldn't survive alone. There was nothing that your parents could do, so when Indigo Wing asked if anybody would make a sacrifice to save you, I volunteered."_

Eclipse suddenly caught on what that sacrifice must have been, and his face bore an expression of horror as he spoke. _"Uncle Pirate, please... No. Tell me you didn't." _

Pirate nodded grimly. _"I did. They took my eye and that was that. They said that they would keep you on the isle of Berk for 3 human years, or 15 dragon years. That's why you had to leave - recently, the council has begun to go against Toothless, and they believed they should kill you instead."_ Pirate spat in disgust.

_"They would take an innocent life to save their own pathetic skins. Because the bad luck was only a cover story for what they were really scared of..."_

Eclipse tilted his head in confusion. _"But, Uncle Pirate, what else would they be scared of?"_

_"Eclipse... There's no easy way to tell you this..."_

_"Drago Bludvist wants to capture you."_

**DUUUUN! So, how was that? I hope I made a few people scream "WHAT?!" at that last line. I always did say that was the best part of writing... MWAHAHAHAHA!**


	13. True Fear

**Eclipse**

**Chapter 13 - True Fear**

Eclipse's turquoise eyes widened when he heard these words. _"Uncle... Who's Drago Bludvist?"_ Pirate sighed, apparently deeply troubled, the light in his eye dimming with sadness.

_"I wondered how long it'd be until you asked. Well, I suppose... I suppose you're old enough to know."_

_"Years ago, there was a great gathering of chieftains to discuss what to do about us dragons and the queen. On that night, there was also a gathering of some of the dragons from the nest... The Freedom Fighters, we were called. We were rebelling against the queen, trying to find a way to escape her. I was at that meeting, as were your parents, Meatlug, Hookfang, and Barf and Belch. _

_"We thought we had made a breakthrough on how to resist her, when a huge dragon the size of Berk itself emerged from the waters. He was covered in scars; they were all over his cracked, crinkled skin. He held no sign of aggression at first, and spoke in a soft voice, luring us in and teasing us, like a cat plays with a mouse before the mouse is eaten. _

_"He said that his name was Bloodbane, and that he was a dragon of the icy north. He claimed that he alone could free us from the tyranny of the queen, and he alone could protect us from the vikings, if, and only if, we chose to bow to him instead."_

Eclipse snickered quietly. _"What a simpleton!"_

Pirate sighed.

_"Aye, we laughed too. Dragons are proud creatures, and the point of escaping the queen was so that we could be free to roam and not serve another. We found his idea both scandalous and laughable... Until his eyes became blood-coloured slits and he screeched "See how well you do without me!" And then an army of dragons, dragons of the likes of which we have never seen before, burst into the gathering. They were blacker than the essence of the night itself, and their eyes were as fiery and awful as the depths of hellheim. _

_"They flung themselves upon us, tearing most of us to shreds with their fangs, flooding the meeting-place with their acid that churned and stung, and felt as if it was ripping your very being apart..."_

Eclipse then noticed that the patch over Pirate's eye looked almost like...

A scorch mark.

_"Uncle... How did you get your eyepatch marking? Was it the acid?"_

Pirate nodded grimly. _"I almost lost my eye that day - and it's lucky I didn't. If I had lost it then, I wouldn't have been able to save you all those years ago. Even if I gave Indigo Wing my other eye instead, even if I had survived this long blind, I wouldn't be able to protect you the same way, or get you here like I did yesterday..."_

Pirate's tone was melancholy, and Eclipse knew that it lay even deeper than that. That was one thing Pirate was scared about - losing his nephew - but Eclipse knew that really, his deepest fear... Was that his rider would reject him, if he lost both eyes. In the opinion of most, a blind dragon would be considered a useless one.

_"Uncle Pirate..." _Eclipse said softly, _"Even if you lost both eyes... Onyx would never stop loving you. You know that. And she still does now - didn't you always say that she was good at seeing past somebody's appearances? And that she was good at getting others to see past hers? That's why some people used to consider her a freak, until she showed them otherwise by protecting Berk and my dad's rider!"_

_"And that's what you've done. Protected Berk no matter what, and protected my family no matter what. You aren't just our friend, you're part of the Haddock clan, just like Onyx is - you're family!"_

Pirate gave a genuine smile then, his eye lighting up again with the fiery spirit that Eclipse had always loved in his uncle. But all was not yet well - as they both curled up to go to sleep for the evening, Eclipse felt a chill run down his spine- Pirate hadn't said so, but he realised that Drago must have asked Bloodbane and the acid dragons to attack the gathering...

This was the first time Eclipse had wanted somebody dead.


	14. Darkness

**Eclipse**

**Chapter 14 - Darkness**

**Getting darker, huh? If that's what you're thinking, you'd be right. I had to listen to "Pegasus Device" for this, I recommend it! Warning, there may be some violence in this chapter, if stuff like that upsets you then I'd be careful. If any younger readers would like a cleaner chapter, just PM me your email address and I will do one and email you the file. I'd hate to spoil it for anybody who isn't comfortable with that kinda thing :) Watch out, my readers, things are about to get a whole lot grimmer from here...**

Meanwhile, as Eclipse drifted into an uneasy sleep, some miles away a ship the size of half a mountainside was anchored. The dragons aboard snorted and snuffled, weakly shuffling their feet in the traps, trying to go to sleep.

In one of the cabins, the sound of drunken laughs could be heard as some of the soldiers celebrated their latest addition to the army, a Razorwhip, a rare purple Stormcutter and a Hobblegrunt. They were careful not to be too loud, however, or else their leader would have them prosecuted for lack of discipline.

In the cabin next door, a group of dragon trappers slept as lightly as a cat might, in case of a dragon attack. Or worse, a human attack - it wouldn't be the first time that Drago sent men when they were sleeping to punish them for their failures. It had been in a night attack that one of them had been branded, and he'd never slept quite the same since.

And then, there stood a solitary cabin, some way away from the others. Within it, a dimly lit lantern hung, illuminating spectral shadows that waltzed along the walls and floors. At a desk that was spattered with dried blood, a tall man hunched over in his chair, brooding over a piece of paper with a sketch. The man's scarred face contorted into a ghastly grin as he looked at it, imagining all the wonderful and horrific things he could do if he got hold of the thing drawn there.

Nearby, a blue terrible terror crouched in a cage, trembling as its violet eyes watched the man all the time. Drago chuckled coldly as he paced over to the cage, his cold, steely eyes piercing those of the terror.

"You have served me well, my ally..." He said softly, his tone silky with a hint of his usual rasp. He began to undo the latch of the cage, and the terror snarled distrustingly. The cage door opened, and Drago kept talking, keeping the dragon focused as if hypnotised. Truly, the dragon couldn't take his eyes away from Drago's - there was something about his voice and his movements that suggested that disobeying him would lead to Pain and Death and Everything Awful.

"Who knew that you would be so _useful?_" he purred, edging ever closer to the terror. "Betraying your own so that you could join a more powerful force... And who knew that that wretch Harvath would keep his word? But now, you've both seen too much..." Drago's voice lowered to a malicious growl.

"Now, you're no longer of any use to me, Topaz... Such a s_hame _to waste such a promising dragon... But then again, these things just ahve to be done..."

Suddenly, Drago's hand shot out and latched around Topaz Fire's throat!

The Terrible Terror let out a shriek as he flailed desperately in the dragon master's hold, writhing and wriggling as he tried to escape. Topaz's vision started going black at the edges as his airway was cut off for longer and longer, and in the end he went limp. Drago gave a cold laugh, loving the thrill of the kill. He threw the little dragon to the ground, assuming he was dead. Then, several soldiers burst into the room.

"Sir, she's come back again!" they complained.

"And now she's turning parts of the boat and weapons into various household objects!" One of them squealed. "She's already turned the swords into giant cocktail sticks, the shields into porcelain vases, and most of the traps into oversized seashells! The dragons are getting out!"

A third voice added "Aye, and now that magic-using feather duster has gone and put the trappers out of action!" He gestured to Eret outside, with a block of ice against his forehead and one eye bandaged. Then, another blast sounded, along with a lot of commotion - one of the soldiers was leaning too far out of the doorway and had been turned into a carrot. Indeed, many of Drago's men had been turned into various root vegetables.

Drago stormed out to help deal with the constant attacks from the godling, too busy to realise that it wasn't her anymore. Onyx had, in fact, lent her magic amulet to Hiccup, who had had to borrow Hookfang from Snotlout to come along since Stormfly and Toothless wouldn't move for some reason, Barf and Belch wouldn't listen to one rider, and Meatlug was too slow.

Nobody heard Onyx whisper to Hiccup "Just use my trademark spells and don't let them see Hookfang's silhouette, and they'll think it's me. And for the love of Odin, do NOT speak!"

Then, she took off like a blue and gold feathery cannonball, slipping into the cabin. She spotted the limp terrible terror and gently slipped him into a bag she was holding, before stuffing a sheath of papers into another bag. She then ensured the dragons were free, before taking off into the night with her friend. But though she didn't show it to Hiccup, as she so seldom did, she was worried - the top paper was an exact drawing of Eclipse, wearing the moonstone.


	15. Lightning Bugs & Sweet Memories

**Eclipse**

**Chapter 15 - Lightning Bugs and Sweet Memories**

With Pirate's warm, comforting wing over him, Eclipse soon fell asleep, with the stars being the very last thing he saw from the cave mouth before he fell into a deep slumber...

_Eclipse's eyes shot open suddenly, and at first he didn't know where he was at first...He dreaded it being another nightmare like the one of his earlier years - but then, he saw it wasn't. It was an early memory he had shared with his beloved uncle Pirate..._

_When Eclipse was little, he had still been very nervous and shy. He'd been jumpy about almost everything, and his lack of self-confidence hadn't helped things. Pirate's heart had ached for the little dragon, who felt as if he didn't belong in this harsh, judging world, and decided to show him differently._

_They had flown to a special place in Onyx's world - a large archipelago of sorts, which Valhalla formed the center of. Eclipse hadn't been able to fly then, so he had clung to Pirate's back until they had flown impossibly high, and the sky looked different. It was still night, but the stars weren't the same. There were more of them, even in varying colours, and suddenly Eclipse could join them all up - they made people, and dragons, and even twelve winged humans - guardians - like Onyx that Eclipse didn't recognize. She never spoke of any other guardians that he remembered - who were they? he wondered. _

_But that, my friends, is a story for another time. _

_Pirate had told Eclipse that everybody in those stars was a loved one that was kept alive in the memory of their ancestors. There were even slinking shapes that looked like Night Furies._

_Pirate had flown this vast world many a time with his beloved friend, and now he wanted to share it with his nephew. He told tales of tall trees that, in the day, were surreal colours. They had knotted, twisting trunks coloured purple, pink and blue. Of secret gates with beautiful and dangerous things lurking beyond them._

_Then, they reached a field - a normal, boring, ordinary field with long wavy grass. But it wasn't completely ordinary to Eclipse. Now the woods had been getting more sinister - darker and darker, where the stars couldn't be seen any more, and strange noises came from everywhere and nowhere. Odin knows WHAT could be in the grass, crouching down and waiting to sink it's fangs into him... The thought made him tremble as he leaned into Pirate's side._

_Pirate looked down at him, his green eye gentle as it lit up the darkness around them both. "Alright Eclipse, how about you take a slow walk out there?" He gestured to the field with his sweeping tail. Eclipse's turquoise eyes widened in terror, his whole body quivering._

_"B-by myself?"_

_"Go on, just give it a go. If you need me I'll be right behind you, I promise."_

_Eclipse gulped nervously, but he knew Uncle Pi never broke his promises. He took a long, shuddering breath, and ventured, one wary foot after the other, into the field..._

_The grass was scratchy, and Eclipse wanted to shake it off himself, but he was terrified of disturbing some menacing creature in the grass, so he didn't dare. Then, something flew out of it and landed right on his snout!_

_It was just a fly – but not a normal one. It was bigger, and as it scuttled along the nadder's snout towards his face, it's pincers clicked menacingly. Plus, due to it's close proximity to his face and Eclipse's small size, it looked considerably larger to him than it would to a grown dragon._

"_Uncle… Uncle Pi!" Eclipse whimpered. "H-help!"_

_Pirate squinted, and, spotting the fly, calmly padded through the grass to the little dragon until he was right in front of Eclipse, whose head was slightly to the side as he froze in place. _

"_Hey, it's alright. Look – Look at me." Pirate whispered soothingly. "Breathe…" _

_Quivering, Eclipse swiveled his head slowly to meet his uncle's eye. He let out a shuddering breath, short and hard to force out. Pirate let out a long, gentle huff of warm air through his flared nostrils, and at the same time he swished his tail through the grass…_

_And the world around Eclipse lit up. _

_The insect on his snout started glowing, and it gave off a faint static crackle that made his scales tingle, but that wasn't all. The tall Goldclipper dragon had used his tail to disturb clusters and clusters of the insects that had been clinging to stalks of grass, and now they all rose up as one swirling mass, their crackling glow flooding the field with light. Then two became one as Eclipse and Pirate chased around the field, Eclipse keeping in his beloved Uncle's shadow as he fought to keep up on his two long, clumsy legs and match Pirate's steady galloping stride. _

_And as they slowed down and started to head home from the place where their cherished memory had happened, Pirate had said to Eclipse..._

"_Remember, Eclipse, my nephew… Sometimes you have to carry on through your fear, to see the beauty on the other side."_

"_Like you, Uncle Pi! You aren't scared of anything!"_

_Pirate stopped with a small sigh. "You think I've never been afraid?"_

"_But you're the best! You're fearless! I've never seen you afraid!"_

"_Eclipse, that doesn't mean to say I don't get scared just like anybody else. I have been afraid and I always will be afraid of some things…"_

"_What like?"_

"_Losing you. Losing Onyx. Losing your father. Losing everyone and everything I hold dear. Eclipse, if you aren't afraid, you aren't alive. True courage is being scared, and fighting for what's important to you anyway."_

_Eclipse nodded. "I understand now, Uncle Pi."_

_Pirate smiled, and continued to stride through the forest._

"_Uncle Pi?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_We're best pals, right?"_

"_Right."_

_And we'll ALWAYS be together, right?"_

"_Eclipse… I may not always be here physically. One day, I may have to leave your world phsysically. But if that ever happens, I promise I'll still always be with you. And when it feels like I'm gone, just look at the stars – you'll see me there."_

"_But the stars at home don't show stuff the way these ones do!"_

"_It's not just about seeing, Eclipse… It's about feeling. Reach into your heart… Delve into your memories of me, your best recollections… And then you'll see my stars in your heart. It's the same with anybody else that you miss."_

"_But I don't want you to leave! Please, promise you'll stay forever! I don't want you to go at all, it's not the same! When will you have to go?"_

_Pirate turned his neck and nuzzled Eclipse. "Hush… Hopefully I won't go for a long time yet, but I can't promise I'll stay forever. I know it won't be the same when I do, but I want you to promise ME something now."_

"_W-what is it?"_

"_That you won't dread that time coming – your life is only just beginning, and you can't spend it worrying about when I'll have to leave you. We never know how much time we have with our loved ones – enjoy it."_

"_I…. I will." Eclipse sighed. He didn't ever want Pirate to leave, but he had to trust his uncle's promise to always be with him… Then the moment of sorrow was gone, and Pirate started flying back down to the mortal world – as Eclipse looked back once more at the people, the night furies, and the twelve guardians trapped in eternal flight, watching over all of them._

**My gods, I just spent two hours or more getting this just right. Sorry I pulled a vanishing act again – homework's a jerk. I have to admit this was probably my favourite chapter to write though. I listened to The Lion King's Kings of the Past for the last conversation – it fit well and lots of the dialogue is based off the scene the music's too. The whole firefly scene was based off The Good Dinosaur. I saw it last Saturday, and I was one of many people hastily wiping their eyes by the end of it…**


	16. Fear's Beckoning

**Eclipse**

**Chapter 16 - Fear's Beckoning**

As the first shafts of sunlight flitted into the cave, Eclipse opened his turquoise eyes blearily. His third eyelid stayed down, and he was going to go back to sleep, but then he noticed why he had woken up - it was cold. It was cold because Pirate's wing was no longer over him, and Pirate's wing was no longer over him because Pirate was gone. Oh well, maybe he should still go back to...

Pirate was gone?!

Eclipse shot up and swivelled around in a full circle to make sure Pirate hadn't just rolled over and ended up further away from him - but his fears were correct - his uncle had disappeared.

Eclipse's imagination went into overdrive - what if his unlce had been kidnapped, or stolen by ACTUAL pirates to be their pet, or - or -

Then Eclipse slapped himself with his wing.

"Snap out of it, dumbass!" He told himself firmly. "He probably went to look for food or something. It's... It's nothing to worry about..."

Little did Eclipse know that he couldn't possibly be further from the truth...

_..._

Pirate pounded onto the jutting spike of ice at the point called Fear's Beckoning, his claws sinking into it like teeth into an apple. He fanned his glorious golden wings out wide, and gave a bellowing roar. It was a sight that would be enough to send anything in a 5-mile radius running for cover, if not further than that - a Goldclipper in his full glory...

But nothing stirred. The leaves shook and shuddered and fell off their respective trees, to reveal abandoned nests of birds and Squirrelserpents. No returning roars sounded, neither in challenge or to defend territory.

The land all around here was barren and devoid of life, lost and hopeless and forgotten - and there was another thing. The weather was changing rapidly, the shining morning sun being smothered in a thick blanket of smog and dark clouds, like a huge storm was coming.

But Pirate wasn't getting the joyful, free, _complete _feeling he normally got when there was going to be a lightning storm (Pirate's base element is related to storms, hence his lightning markings). He felt worried, and tense, and even _intimidated._ Pirate wasn't ashamed of fear, but this was different. This weather felt oppressive and sinister - like something big was coming. Bigger than the both of them. He'd had a feeling about this place already, both Pirate and Onyx had a sort of six-sense that the divine creatures of the world treasure greatly.

And that was when he saw it. The thing that made his blood freeze in his veins, made him halt like a statue, made the pupil of his good eye widen as it reflected all of his emotions at once. Pirate felt fear, that was for sure - a terrible, driving fear that took hold of his senses and blazed inside of him, consuming him like dark fire.

The thing that terrified Pirate... Was the huge, tidal wave that his sharp eye had spotted in the distance. It wasn't any kind of flood or tsunami, though. Something had MADE that wave - something moving through the ocean, it's great body churning up the waters. Something with a thirst for blood and vengeance on those who had mocked it and betrayed it. Something with eyes as red as blood, something fifty times as big as the big blue whale...

Something with powers to twist the mind, and send it's enemies to a fiery grave.


	17. Horrors of Times Past

**Eclipse**

**Chapter 17 - Horrors of Times Past**

**I know that so far, the worst there has been in the violence category is strangling and the loss of an eye (Nothing graphic really, I'm squeamish.) This is honestly worse, and I thought "OH MY GOD, WHAT HAVE I JUST TYPED?! THIS IS OBSCENE, I AM A MONSTER!" But hopefully I'm overreacting. So I'm just saying, if you are easily upset or anything, I wouldn't read. You can probably catch up in later chapters. This should shed some light on Onyx's past too.**

Onyx flew faster and faster - she had to get to Berk. She had insisted that after the attack, Hiccup and Hookfang go on ahead, promising to catch up later. She had wanted to think things over. But in her net of worry, she had made a possibly fatal mistake - she had forgottten that for a guardian, being alone on a wide, wide sea is a lethal predicament. Slave ships passing would fire at one, large seadragons might look up and think _"Ooh, din-dins!" _and even dragon trappers would be after her head.

None of this had entered the guardian's mind as she thought it all over. How did Drago Bludvist know about Eclipse? And more importantly, how did he know about the moonstone? She should have saved such thoughts for later, but she didn't think of the consequences, and now she was paying the price. Now, she was lurching through the sky, her breath sobbing, as Drago's lead ship hurtled after her. Something was plunging through the water, attached to the ship, dragging it along. And that something was HUGE.

Worst part was, she knew what it was. And somehow, that made it much scarier than if she was ignorant of it's nature, what it was like, what it had _done._ That thing had seized the meeting of the dragons, leaving Pirate barely escaping with his life - and then it had come after her.

_She was meeting with the other guardians - The Lost Twelve. That was when Pirate had come running up the hill, screaming. Not screeching, like most dragons when they get scared. Actually screaming. The sound haunted her to this day - when she heard a person or a child screaming, out of fear or just while playing, she would whirl round at the bitter memory. Then, Onyx had smelled the acid - its scent stung your nostrils brutally. She had leapt up to calm her frantic companion, stroking his nose and whispering soothing nothings to him. Then, she yelled at the others to get out, to fly away while they still could. It went against Onyx's nature to run, but even she knew when it was wise to choose flight over fight. _

_But they hadn't paid heed. The others mostly thought that Pirate was just spooked by a passing bee-eater dragon, and that Onyx was just trying to get attention by acting the "Hero". Her older brother, Matrix, scorned her warning, claiming she was simply getting him back because she was jealous of him being the heir to the God's throne. Drizzle, Onyx's little sister and the youngest of the three, supported Onyx, however, but was too shy to argue with Matrix. That was how it always went - Matrix took over, and the others were either too afraid to stand up to him or they simply couldn't be bothered to think for themselves, following him like mindless sheep. Jackdaw supported Onyx too, but three against ten isn't a very fair fight. Freedom was unsure and stayed out of it, and Reynard didn't want to get involved, so just ignored them all. So much for a species sticking together. _

_Matrix tried to keep arguing to show off and truly drill into Onyx who was the boss, but the trio weren't having it. Just as Drizzle, Jackdaw and Onyx were about to fly off before it was too late, they were alerted to scalding hot breath on their necks, a stray dribble of saliva falling onto Drizzle's head, Onyx's wings pressed against a muscled, scaly chest as she backed away from Matrix. He himself let out a wail and was reduced to, basically, a pile of jelly cowering at the feet of whatever was behind them. _

_Onyx was the first to dare to turn, narrowly avoiding being drenched by another blob of spittle from it's jaws. It seemed like a dragon, but not just a dragon. This was the stuff of bone-chilling sagas, half demon and half dragon, a little like guardians were half human and half god. _

_A Firestinger._

_It's eyes were like smouldering coals from the very bowels of Hellheim, hatred and lust for blood mirrored in them. Those eyes could take you back to your very worst memories, and leave you whimpering and trembling at the creature's mercy, a mere shell of your former self. Even if you could be revived, you would never be the same again. _

_Pirate screamed again and hurled fire at the thing in self defense - but in his fear he didn't realise that such an action would make it Firestinger gets it's name because it can spit acid into dragonfire and taint it, making it be able to disintergrate anybody who touches the flames. The fire blazed and formed a circle, once the Firestinger had set it on the right course. And instantly, the guardians lost their heads entirely. More of the demon-dragons rose up from the cliff-face, and circled the air above the ring of deadly fire. There was no way out. There were winged humans flying round the ring, screaming screams of pure terror that blazed through them. When a guardian circled upwards to try and fly out, one of the monsters above would snatch it, sinking vice-like jaws into the creatures' wings until they stopped thrashing and went limp and lifeless in the dragons' deadly hold. Onyx played dead on the ground, pretending she had touched the fire like so many of the others had. The Firestingers were malicious beasts, and their favourite part was the chase and the killing. Therefore, they saved the ones already dead until last. But this meant Onyx had to listen to the dying screams of her comrades. Soon, she only heard one more guardian flying round, heard them whispering "Oh goodness, Oh goodness, oh GODS!" and paled on the ground. Drizzle._

_Then, there was a gasp of pain and terror, and then she couldn't hear Drizzle. Oh gods... No. No, it couldn't be. NO._

_"NO! DRIZZLE!" Onyx couldn't help it. She leapt up, tears streaming down her face like small rivers, screaming like it would bring Drizzle back. There were scatterings of all different feathers on the ground. She grabbed a handful and stuffed them in her pocket, and then a giant claw pinned her down. She resisted the urge to look at the Firestinger's face, afraid to see the blood on it's mouth, and knowing that if she looked at it's eyes then it would show her her worst memories again. No, not make her see them. Make her EXPERIENCE them again. Like she was actually THERE._

_Then, the thing unsheathed it's two gleaming fangs for the kill. s they came down towards her chest, Pirate suddenly leapt out of nowhere, grabbing the neck of her jumper and dragging her out the way... Except for her right foot. Then, everything went dark as the pain and the terror and the grief became too much._

_Onyx woke up at the infirmary back home in Valhalla. She was told that her fellow guardians and her two siblings had all been confirmed slaughtered... And then she saw her foot. There was a wooden stump where it had been, strapped on with a leather strap. But she hardly cared. She wanted nothing more than the others to come back. Even if she got so battered she was more metal that mankind._

Onyx jerked out of the flashback with fresh tears in her stormy-blue eyes. Bloodbane hadn't done the dirty work, but he and Drago had sent those Firestingers. And now, the deed started with her comrades 300 years ago would be finished with her own death. Onyx felt like giving up, falling into the sea below for the beast to pick her out and swallow her whole. But no. Hiccup needed her, Eclipse needed her...

_Pirate _needed her. The thought of what Pirate would do if she died gave the guardian a burst of speed she never knew she had, and she flew so fast there was a boom as she broke the soundbarrier for a moment. Even the Bewilderbeast couldn't keep up with her, which was saying something. She would have to take the long way home now, so she didn't lead this thing to Berk, but at this speed it wouldn't catch up anytime soon...

**Phew, what a long one! Over 1,000 words! Sorry if I broke the lives and hearts of my readers, but a lot of writers on here did it to me first - dammit, why am I obsessed with angst fics?! Anyway, Happy Snoggletog!**


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